This is page numbers 41 - 72 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 8th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was information.

Topics

Further Return To Question 23-13(8): Seniors' Property Tax Rebate
Question 23-13(8): Seniors' Property Tax Rebate
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 49

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will consider all proposal and all suggestions from the

Members or from the communities or from the general public, and we will use whatever proposals are put forward that would, in fact, address the issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 23-13(8): Seniors' Property Tax Rebate
Question 23-13(8): Seniors' Property Tax Rebate
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. To follow up on his very enlightening report on the MDAPP evaluation which I think they spent close to $6 million to help people buy houses without any means test or anything placed on the people who are able to purchase houses, whether they made a million dollars a year or $50,000. Mr. Speaker, several of my constituents have come forward with dilapidated houses, their sidings falling off, windows in disrepair, that type of thing. What they are wondering is if there are any repair programs in the Housing Corporation's current programs that they are eligible for here in Yellowknife. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of programs that are available through the Housing Corporation for homeowners. The level of service or assistance they were to receive all depends on the income they would have. The biggest program we have is through the EDAP program, there is the Independent Housing Program, there is also a seniors' program and we do have, within the EDAP system, programs where people can get monies to do some repairs to their existing homes. But again, all those programs are based on the amount of income that would be received in the households. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Supplementary To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister's report had indicated that the MDAPP had put in $5.6 million into their program, and there was no means test whatsoever. What I am wondering is, could the Minister increase the amount of money that is in that repair program so that people who have bought their houses on their own, with their own money, can repair their houses. Because many of them are now in very dire straits. I am wondering, could the Minister increase the repair program to maybe only half of what they put into the MDAPP, maybe only $2 million, $2.5 million?

Supplementary To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that is an issue that can be dealt with in the next business planning process, that the Housing Corporation can look at trying to increase those levels of support we provide at present Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Supplementary To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering the fact that there was no means test put in place for being eligible for the MDAPP, would the Minister also look at increasing the maximum amount of yearly family income before they are regarded as ineligible for accessing this program? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department, on a regular basis, looks at its programs to see if the standards being set are too extreme or not. As I said earlier, we will be going through a business planning process and can be looking at those things. We have to keep in mind one of the factors of increasing our limits would place more demand on already shrinking resources within the Housing Corporation. A lot of the MDAPP funding that was used was through supplementary appropriation put through this House. We did use some of our own resources and thankfully, we are able to cover the rest of that from within because of some of the planning that was done from within the department. So all of this other information on trying to change the programs can be reviewed through the business planning processing and dealing with committees. As well, we will be looking at what we can reasonably provide residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Question 24-13(8): Home Repair Program Access
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi. It is regarding the potential costs incurred in the form of personnel costs or dollar amounts incurred by his department in the defence of government officials regarding that law suit against the government and various parties by Workers' Compensation. My question to the Minister is, can he confirm that indeed the department is incurring personnel or dollar costs in defending actions in that particular case? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.

Return To Question 25-13(8): GNWT Costs Incurred In Court Cases
Question 25-13(8): GNWT Costs Incurred In Court Cases
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take the question as notice. Thank you.

Return To Question 25-13(8): GNWT Costs Incurred In Court Cases
Question 25-13(8): GNWT Costs Incurred In Court Cases
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 50

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Question is taken as notice. Oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions with respect to Minister Floyd Roland's Minister's statement on the MDAPP evaluation. Since I can remember living in the Northwest Territories, we have continued to hear about the housing crises in the North, about overcrowding, and about lack of facilities in homes. I was just wondering how this $5.6 million spent under the MDAPP, in the evaluation it fails to indicate how that responded to that housing crisis? Perhaps the Minister could draw that correlation for us. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 51

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the MDAPP program had a number of objectives it set out to try and meet. One is to stimulate the economy through housing sales, one is to have families move to communities that have jobs and have people working from southern Canada move to the North and establish their homes. As well, part of the program freed up some of the public housing units that right now have families in them with a higher income levels. They were able to use the program to purchase their own home, move into their own home thereby freeing up some of the public housing units. As well, with that I should state that the majority of the uptake on this was in the larger communities, so that had an impact as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 51

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 51

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister stated that one of the goals was to have people from southern Canada take up residency in the Northwest Territories, that was one of the stated objectives of the program. Could the Minister tell me how many homes were purchased from people outside of the Northwest Territories?

Supplementary To Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 51

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Question 26-13(8): Minimum Down Payment Assistance Program
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 51

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I heard the question right, how many homes were purchased from people outside of the Northwest Territories. I do not have that information available. I do not believe we have had people selling houses that do not live in the Northwest Territories. I do not know if there were people who had homes that left prior to this program coming up and then having their homes sold on the market. We could go back and find that out, but I think we were asked on the objectives of this program and we have compared on a questionnaire that went out to a lot of the people that took advantage of the program and they supplied information, but the questions on that were not related to who was out of the Territories when they sold their homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.